THE BYKER BRAWL
Metro station is worst crime-hit on the line
GANGS of kids have been blamed for turning Byker Metro Station into the most crime-hit on the line.
More crime is reported there than busier and larger stations like Monument, Gateshead and Haymarket,
And there is more violence there than any other station, a probe has revealed.
Police will now try and slash the crime figures by getting the young troublemakers’ parents involved.
Metro operator Nexus insists the overall crime rate on the line, which carries 36 million passengers a year, is “low”.
Addressing Byker, a spokesperson said: “The police have been effective in dealing with the issue of young people hanging around on the square outside Byker Metro station some evenings, and this reflects the positive working relationship we have with both the forces we fund to provide uniformed officers and patrols on Metro.”
The firm spends £1m a year on a specialist Metro Police Unit, backed up with 600 CCTV cameras, to curb crime.
A Freedom of Information request to Northumbria Police revealed a huge disparity in crime rates along the line. Byker Station had at least 67 recorded crimes in 2018. Almost a third involved violence against the person. Comparatively, less populous areas like Callerton Parkway and Bede had less than five each.
There were also substantially fewer crimes at Sunderland stations. Millfield, South Hylton, Seaburn and the Stadium, of Light all had under ten.
Sunderland station itself wasn’t included in the figures as it falls under British Transport Police’s jurisdiction. However some of the largest stations, such as those in Newcastle City Centre, still had less recorded crime than Byker.
Combined, Haymarket and Central Station still had fewer recorded crimes than Byker.
Sergeant Tim Hand, of Northumbria Police’s Metro Neighbourhood Policing Team, said the team is “aware of the anti-social behaviour issues in and around Byker Metro Station”.
He adds “significant steps to address the problem” have already been taken.
“We have identified a number of youths responsible and will be engaging with them and their parents before deciding on an appropriate course of action,” he added. “We regularly patrol the Metro system and have a dedicated team of officers that are part-funded by Nexus. We also work with the local authority to identify diversionary programmes for young people but will put offenders before the criminal courts if it is appropriate.
“We are committed to working with Nexus, the city council and local housing associations to reduce anti-social behaviour in the Byker area and on the Metro system itself.”
And a Nexus spokesperson added it has, alongside Northumbria Police, “stepped up the number of high profile patrols on Metro to reduce anti-social behaviour” “Metro is fundamentally a safe system for the public to travel on,” they added. “Serious crime is rare and we are working continuously with the police to reduce lower level offending to ensure Metro is even safer for customers and staff.”